Read an excerpt of June Jenson and the Shield of Quell from @emilyswhitelies #adventure

June Jenson, an accomplished Oxford professor, has spent her life trying to get out from under the shadow of her infamous grandfather: a renowned archaeologist accused of stealing a relic during an excavation at Sutton-Hoo. When a secret alliance recruits June to guard priceless artifacts she realizes that this is her chance to contribute to the history she loves and rid herself of the cloud of suspicion that her family has lived under for so long. But, when the artifact June is commissioned to guard turns out to be the same relic her grandfather was accused of stealing− a relic he has consistently claimed never existed − her carefully laid plans of family redemption are a bit shot. Now, with the aid of her accused grandfather who suffers from early onset Alzheimer’s, and a chauffeur who’s looking for a scandal to make him famous, June must race to discover the truth of the shield and what really happened at Sutton-Hoo all those years ago.

Professor!” I yell in frustration.

“Alright, fine,” he says, nodding his head after making his decision. “There is something I can tell you. Something that could help you get the answer under the illusion you came to it on your own.”

The Professor sighs dramatically. “You are letting the clues lead you to the trap door, my dear. The clues are a guide, of course, but you need to see them from afar. An optical illusion is revealed the further you step back while looking at the same image.”

This is absolutely ridiculous.

That’s it. It’s over. My illustrious career as a Relic Guard is officially in the bin.

And you know, it’s just so maddening because I am a smart woman. I finished top in my class. I have an eidetic memory. I am one of the youngest Professors to teach at the prestigious Oxford University. I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with just my tongue.

But this one bloody riddle has plagued me for days. On repeat in my head.

How will everything always end?

The simple answer is death, of course. But if you are looking at it from a mythological standpoint, the possibilities are endless…

Or maybe they aren’t thinking of human entities, but the very thing we are swearing to protect: the relics themselves. What will inevitably happen to them?

“Don’t go down the rabbit hole, June bug,” the Professor warns.

I look at him in utter frustration.

Walk beside the clues, not in their shoes…

Think… Think…

This is ridiculous. That is the worst advice in the entire world. I mean, it even rhymes. He’s treating me like a simple child who needs–

Oh, bloody hell.

Well, that’s terribly embarrassing.

“Light bulb?” the Professor says with a wide grin on his face.

What is the answer to June’s riddle?

Emily Harper is the bestselling and award winning women’s fiction author of White Lies, Checking Inn, My Sort-of, Kind-of Hero and the June Jenson series. Her debut novel, White Lies, was a finalist in the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award. My Sort-of, Kind-of Hero won the 2014 New England Readers’ Choice Award. She has a passion for writing humorous romance stories where the heroine is not your typical damsel in distress.

Originally from England, she currently lives in Canada with her husband, two children, and a very naughty dog.